Aerating greens is a regular, labor-intensive task for all superintendents, but an invention by Joe Corsetti, turf equipment manager at The Members Club at Grande Dunes in Myrtle Beach, saves time and money.
Before Corsetti's brainstorm, grounds crew workers at Grande Dunes had to walk the facility's 1,300-pound aerator from the storage shed to each green, or load the aerator onto a trailer and drive from green to green. Corsetti developed a tow bar that easily connects and disconnects the aerator to a utility vehicle, allowing the operator to move the unit from green to green much more efficiently. The investment: less than four hours and $65 in materials.
"I spent my entire career in mechanical-type occupations, and the tow bar concept came from that background," explains Corsetti, who already has a patent pending on the invention. "I worked on NASCAR pit crews and also towed heavy vehicles from 18-wheel trucks to airplanes for 40 years. In those jobs, you quickly realize that you have to work smarter, not necessarily harder, to get the job done."